CPEC to benefit all of Pakistan: Ahsan Iqbal

MARDAN, Oct 16 (APP): Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal Sunday said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was for whole of Pakistan, particularly it would benefit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Addressing a big public gathering in Sher Garh here, he said CPEC would connect Central Asian states and Afghanistan and trade from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering these countries, would increase.
In the last three years, he said 100 federal projects were approved for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including dams, power plants, industrial zones and other facilities.
He said whenever Pakistan was put on the road to progress people from inside the country tried to sabotage the whole effort.
The minister said when Pakistan came into being 70 years ago, many countries were not ahead of it.
But now China, Korea, Malaysia and Bangladesh went ahead of Pakistan, he added.
He said Pakistan was left behind despite having resources, adding Pakistan could not make progress, because enemies of Pakistan destroyed its peace and stability.
In 2013, he said the world declared Pakistan as the most dangerous country, even more dangerous than Iraq.
Today in 2016, the same news publications of west stated that Pakistan had become one of the fastest emerging economies of the world, he noted.
He said Pakistan faced 4000 terrorist incidents in 2013 and was a haven for terrorism.
But after three years, terrorists were fleeing and peace was returning to Pakistan, he said adding now terrorists sometimes attacked cowardly but these incidents had decreased tenfold.
Ahsan said Nawaz Sharif along with army started Zarb-e-Azb and as compared to 2013 Pakistan became more safe.
In 2013 when PMLN came to office, power plants were not built for 15 years, however now they would add 10,000 megawatts to the national grid by 2018 so that darkness could end from the country, he explained.
A country which was called haven for terrorists was now called heaven for Chinese investors, he added.
He said Pakistan Muslim League(N) scored election victories in Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Peshawar, Jhelum and Taxila.
He said people wanted peace, prosperity and employment opportunities and Nawaz Sharif was symbol of progress.
Imran Khan would continue to roam on roads and get nothing, he remarked.
Adviser to Prime Minister, Amir Muqam said PMLN would carry out development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and bring prosperity in lives of the people.
He criticized Imran Khan for not paying attention to problems of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose people elected him to power in 2013.
He said people would reject PTI and vote for PMLN in the next elections.
He welcomed political leaders and workers who joined Pakistan Muslim League(N).